People who believe they are being mistreated at work can seek corrective options in their employee handbook, from their union or from an attorney, psychologists say. They should also ask themselves whether their organization’s human resources department takes employee complaints seriously, Yamada said. In many cases, looking for a new job may be the best recourse, he added. Employers should investigate complaints and concerns about toxic working conditions as soon as they arise, Yamada said. They should seek out and eliminate discrimination or sexual harassment to avoid legal exposure, and establish policies and procedures to combat bullying, he said.
Shoss encourages workplace wellbeing audits to assess whether workers feel supported, encouraged and treated fairly. Organizations should build a culture of respect and safety and evaluate leaders based on their alignment with those values, she said.
Leslie Hammer, PhD, professor at Oregon Health and Science University, supports training leaders to create healthy workplaces. Hammer has developed and evaluated several one-hour interactive computer-based training courses that teach supervisors how to identify, assist and support employees who are at risk of declining health, safety and well-being. The trainings improved employees’ job satisfaction, reduced the number of people considering quitting and improved their personal well-being, a study found. Article 2021 in the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology.
